Spark Acting℠ is the interactive acting troupe that infuses theater with the spark of life. Our characters transform an event’s theme into an immersive alternate reality. Using improvisational theater techniques, our acting style blurs the separation between audience and performance, enabling your friends, your guests, and you, to become part of the show.

Upcoming Performances, Classes, Workshops, and Whimsy

Wedding Anniversary Event; September 9th 2017

At this private event, Spark Acting will create beauty and pomp by setting up and controlling the lighting and sound for both the band and the architecture. Spark Acting’s selection of water- and weather-proof lighting will add a whole new level of beauty to this venue’s mix of indoor, outdoor, and water areas.

More to come…

Please like our Facebook page to stay in the loop about future happenings. If you’d like to add a theatrical spark to your event, then please hire us.

Past Event Announcements

One Dope Ass Night; August 4th 2017

We’re collaborating with the show’s producers to add interactive fun to the event. Our fairy and satyr characters will use their magic to help you pursue your heart’s delight. The show will also include eight live musical acts, two Burning Man camps, installation art, performance art, vendors, party games & prizes, black-light face painting, make-your-own buttons, sending yourself a birthday card, inflatable interactive toys, and magical happenings. Tickets and event details are available online.

Obtainium Cup; July 23rd 2017

The Obtainium Cup is a whimsical art car competition, in which the contestants must surmount a variety of fun obstacles. Spark Acting will lead the airship pirates in one of the challenges involved in conquering the race. This event is free and open to the public, and all are invited to watch and interact with us. For more information, browse the event webpage and Facebook page.

Clockwork Alchemy; May 26-29th 2017

Spark Acting is thrilled to be returning to Clockwork Alchemy, this Memorial Day weekend at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose! On Friday afternoon we’re hosting the workshop Embodying Steampunk Characters, from 3pm to 5pm in the San Carlos Room. On Friday evening we’ll have three short performances at the Wind-Up Caberet. On Sunday afternoon, we’re performing at the Acoustic Stage between 2pm and 3pm. We hope to see you there! http://www.ClockworkAlchemy.com/

The Goddess Gaia; November 19th 2016

Spark Acting is performing as part of the interactive and immersive forest fantasy event The Goddess Gaia on Saturday, November 19th (previously October 22nd), as our fairy and satyr characters. The event will be held at the beautiful Hillside Club (map). See us on stage and as walk-about characters. Check out the Facebook event for more info. We hope to see you there!

Dance and the Dawn: Dreams of Ice and Ash; November 20th 2016

Spark Acting is part of Come Out and Play’s Dance and the Dawn: Dreams of Ice and Ash. For this improvisational theater LARP, we’ll teach the waltz dance lesson before the ball. During the ball, as Shadow Servants we’ll help facilitate the game-play for the core players: six Ladies of Ash, who have come to the midnight ball in hopes of healing their heartbreak; seven cold, proud Lords of Ice; and the Queen of Ice and the Duke of Ash, the enigmatic figures who have arranged the whole affair. Dancing, dueling, courtly intrigue… and the eternal hope of romance and joy.

Matthew Briar and the Age of Resurrection; October 14th, 15th, and 16th 2016

Spark Acting will be part of Epic Immersive’s Matthew Briar and the Age of Resurrection. You’ll enter three fully immersive acts — a 1907 World’s Fair, the Roaring 20s, and a Depression-era camp — as you trace the epic saga of an inventor who finds a way to radically extend the human lifespan, and how his invention transforms life in the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Read more, and get a $20/ticket discount!

Genentech Corporate Event; October 14th 2016

At this private event, we’ll help Genentech employees step into the Mystic Midway’s gamified interactive immersive world. Story Bucks will encourage players to evoke inspiration, reflection on and share stories, examine forms of value, and face challenges.

Ancien Regime; September 23rd and 24th 2016

Spark Acting will be part of Come Out and Play’s interactive fantasy historical event “Ancien Regime”. This alternate reality adventure takes place in San Francisco’s Fort Mason. Travel to the dawn of Revolution and navigate a society on the brink of collapse as you explore a mashed-up world of the high-powered Court of Versailles and 2016 Silicon Valley. Gameplay will take you across social classes and amidst danger as you find your way in a world where lofty ideas and scientific breakthroughs abound – but does everyone have enough to eat and survive? Come see us September 23rd (more info) and 24th (more info).

User eXperience Conference; August 9th 2016

Spark Acting will help host the opening party for the UX Week conference. At this private event, conference attendees will step into a whimsical game world customized for the conference. Attendees will interact with the colorful characters there, and connect with fellow UX Week participants through games and activities designed to get all of us thinking in new ways about experiences, both our own and those we create for others. They’ll talk about the strategies and tactics behind creating characters, environments, and activities that engage people in the real world. It promises to be fun, informative, and inspiring. For more information see the UX Week events schedule.

A Very Fairy Midsummer Soiree; July 30th 2016

We’ll join the Mystic Midway and Ensemble members of Midwayville for a very special and elegant evening of sumptuous faery delights and immersive theater at the Westerfeld House, San Francisco’s intriguing historic landmark on Alamo Square. Tickets and event details available online.

Midwayville; Summer 2016

Midwayville is a unique reflection of the community spirit & soul of this great city, dressed up in a family-friendly fun pop-up live game carnival. Enjoy the tasty delights SoMa StrEat Food Park has to offer while engaging in a dazzling world of Carnival Games, Immersive Theater, DJ Dance Party Fun, wild costumes, a lively social vibe. Your stories & participation bring midwayville to life. The SoMa StrEats Food Park will be transformed into a live action video game: a multi-land pixelated theme park full of exciting attractions, bizarre sets, a customized floor game board mural and immersive show featuring dozens of costumed improv performers which all respond to your participation– making for a wildly participatory and playfully engaging experience.

Spark Acting Presents: Animism; May 29th 2016

You might not know this, but your possessions have feelings too. Through the science of animism, Spark Acting can enhance those objects’ nascent life spirit to the point where they can communicate. Bring inanimate objects that you wish could talk, and your wish may come true.

Spark Acting Presents: Titania; May 28th 2016

Professor Titania Taube is renowned as the most intelligent toaster in the world. Come hear Titania explain wonders, dispense advice, and answer unquestionably unanswerable questions. See for yourself the toast of the town. You are invited to arrive with your own questions for Titania to answer.

Workshop: Embodying Steampunk Characters; May 27th 2016

Casting off your mundane clothes to dress in steampunk attire is fun. During this workshop we’ll instead cast off our mundane minds, and transform into and interact as steampunk personas. This workshop introduces you to improvisational theater techniques, and no prior acting experience is needed.
Spark Acting taught a workshop, “Embodying Steampunk Characters,” at Clockwork Alchemy 2016. It was a fun and engaging class! Thank you to all of our attendees. We look forward to interacting with your characters throughout the weekend.

And More…

We’ve been performing long before the creation of Spark Acting. Check the history section in our Troupe page to learn more.